Rent vs buy in La Habra, CA
In La Habra, California, the typical rent is $2,753 /mo and the typical home is $900,627.
Over 7 years, renting wins by $98k
Today's mortgage rate applies with 20% down and La Habra's typical home value and rent. The break-even point is year 15.
An opinion, clearly labelled, with the math shown. These are estimates, not quotes. Adjust one number and the stamp shifts.
- Renting leads by
- $98k after 7 years
- Break-even point
- Year 15 when owning catches up
- Real cost of owning
- $7,482 a month year 1, against $2,753 rent
Change my numbers
La Habra's usual rent and home price determine the stamp. Your own rent, price and years can flip the result.
Do your numbers differ from the city's?
Enter your rent, price and down payment. Those figures change the stamp.
In La Habra, is it cheaper to rent or buy?
Including the money returned when you sell, renting costs $97,513 less over 7 years. For the first 14 years, renting costs less. Owning catches up during year 15.
Rent. Buying. Net cost to date, by year.
In La Habra, average rent compared with mortgage payments
At La Habra's typical price, the complete year 1 monthly costs include more than just the rent and mortgage payments.
| Each month, year 1 | Amount | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | $2,753 | All of it, every month |
| Mortgage payment | $4,910 | $4,328 of it is interest in year 1 |
| Property tax | $473 | 0.63% of the value a year |
| Insurance | $92 | Census median for the city |
| Upkeep | $751 | 1% of the value a year |
| Owning, cash out | $6,226 | $582 of it builds equity |
| Lost return on the down payment | $1,464 | At an annual rate of 8.3%, this is what the cash would earn |
| Buying costs, spread out | $375 | 3.5% of the price over 7 years |
| True cost of owning | $7,482 | Cash out minus the equity amount, then add the two amounts listed above |
La Habra verdict, by the numbers
- Typical home value from Zillow ZHVI, September 2026
- $900,627
- Typical rent from Zillow ZORI, September 2026
- $2,753 per month
- A 20% down payment avoids private mortgage insurance, but the engine doesn't include that insurance
- 20%
- Mortgage rate from Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (FRED MORTGAGE30US)
- 7.24%
- The FHFA house price index, California, 1995 to 2025 covers home price growth
- 5.3% per year
- Rent growthCPI: primary residence rent, yearly growth from 2006 to 2026
- 3.5% each year
- Return on savings: 60% S&P 500 with dividends, plus 40% 10-year Treasuries, rebalanced each year from 1928 to 2025
- 8.3% each year
- Property tax: Census ACS 2020-2024, La Habra
- 0.63% of the value
- Home insurance: Census ACS 2020-2024, La Habra
- $92 a month
- Upkeep: Fannie Mae, low end of 1% to 4%
- Each year, 1% of value
- Buying costsFreddie Mac: midpoint between 2% and 5%
- Purchase price percentage: 3.5%
- Selling costs: Agent commission and closing costs
- 6% of the price
What would change the verdict in La Habra?
With every other input fixed, each line marks what changes the 7-year verdict in La Habra.
When renting wins
- Home prices grow by less than 6.5% a year (our figure is California's long-run rate, 5.3%).
- A mortgage rate above 5.31% remains in place.
- A comparable home rents for less than $3,800 monthly, compared with $2,753 typical here.
- Your move happens before year 15.
When buying wins
- Home prices grow at more than 6.5% a year.
- The mortgage rate you lock sits below 5.31%, and today's is 7.24%.
- Renting that same home would cost more than $3,800 monthly.
- Your stay lasts at least 15 years.
La Habra compared with the other 812 cities
| Measure | La Habra | Median city |
|---|---|---|
| Typical home value | $900,627 | $422,451 |
| Typical rent | $2,753 /mo | $1,837 /mo |
| Price-to-rent ratio | 27.3 (#101 of 813) | 18.5 |
| Home prices, last 10 years | 6.5% a year | 6.2% a year |
| Rents, last 5 years | 4.3% a year | 4% a year |
| Property tax | 0.63% | 0.87% |
| Households that rent | 42% | 42% |
Data from: Zillow ZHVI and ZORI, Census ACS 2020-2024.
More California cities
- Los Angeles, CA. Rent. Renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- San Diego, CA. Rent. Renting comes out ahead by $108k.
- Rent. San Jose, CA. Renting saves $210k.
- Rent. San Francisco, CA. Renting saves $128k.
- Buy. Fresno, CA. Buying saves $22k.
- Toss-up. Sacramento, CA. It's a toss-up, with renting ahead by $3k.
- In Long Beach, CA, renting comes out ahead by $111k.
- In Oakland, CA, renting comes out ahead by $44k.
- In Bakersfield, CA, buying comes out ahead by $11k.
- Rent. Anaheim, CA. Renting wins there by $115k.
- Buy. Stockton, CA. Buying wins there by $16k.
- In Riverside, CA, renting comes out ahead by $27k.